Chapter 579
Chapter Title: The Advent of a Hero
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579.
Whoooosh-!
The pillar of black flame that had soared high into the sky split apart, beginning to fall from above like rain.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
“Aaaaaaah?!”
Screams erupted from all over the stands at the sudden catastrophe, as if witnessing the end of the world.
Flash-!
In that instant, a barrier of light materialized in the sky.
Fwoosh-!
The black flames were blocked by the wall.
-Distinguished guests of Lumerne, may I have your attention, please.
Just then, a gentle voice echoed from the center of the training grounds.
A beautiful female student, captivating enough to make anyone stare in a daze, Elena, gracefully held the hem of her skirt and curtsied.
-There are countless hero cadets and heroes present here today. Please, remain calm.
At Elena's words, the crowd's panic quickly subsided.
Though their faces were still filled with fear, they did not lose their reason and descend into chaos.
Everyone swallowed nervously.
Amidst the tension...
Flash-!
Fwhoooosh-!
A crimson sword aura bisected the pillar of black flame.
The sword aura, having sliced through the black flame, shot toward the sky without losing its momentum.
Witnessing the thrilling spectacle, the spectators all stared with their mouths agape.
“That was a sword strike?”
“I've heard that some knights can unleash attacks rivaling those of an archmage... but that far surpasses the power of magic, doesn't it?”
All eyes turned to the one who had unleashed the sword aura.
There stood a handsome young man who looked as though he had just shed the last traces of boyhood.
“Hark, senior! That was amazing!”
Lil shouted, swinging her battle hammer.
“Is he really from the Knight Department?”
“Are Lumerne's knight cadets all monsters?”
The Azonia students stared at Hark in astonishment.
“Hmph, don't be so surprised. That guy's mana trait is 'Accumulation.'”
Dorveman stepped forward, clenching and unclenching his fists.
“Thanks to that, he can unleash an absurd amount of sword aura despite his pretty face.”
Of course, even with a massive amount of Aura, there's a limit to how much can be released at once.
Besides, unleashing that much power in a single burst would overload the body.
Enduring it was a matter of training.
Hark, with his sword resting on his shoulder, received everyone's attention.
An overwhelming charisma emanated from him.
Even the Lumerne juniors, who had only ever seen him dozing off or screaming in agony from Leo's torment, swallowed nervously at this new side of Hark.
Just then, Elena approached Lil and whispered something to her.
“What? Th-that's too much!”
“It'll be a big help, won't it? Go on.”
“B-but...”
“Oh? Who do you think you'll be spending more of your school life with?”
Seeing Elena's smiling threat, Lil approached Hark with a tearful expression.
“What is it?”
Hark asked in a slightly irritated tone, and Lil, squeezing her eyes shut, summoned a water spirit and doused him.
Splash-! Sizzzzzzle-!
The water turned to steam the moment it touched Hark's body.
Hark, suddenly soaked, grabbed Lil by the collar.
“Hoh? So, now that I'm graduating, I'm not your senior anymore, is that it?”
“Eek! I-I only did it because Senior Elena told me to!”
*‘Wouldn't most people refuse, even if they were told to?’*
Forgetting the situation, everyone stared at the two in a daze.
“Now, now. Calm down.”
Elena stepped between them with a bright smile.
“You needed to cool down anyway.”
“And you thought splashing water on me was the way to do it?”
Hark wore a murderous expression.
“Now, let's postpone scolding Lil for later.”
“Why are you pinning it all on me!”
“And you're acting as if you've done nothing wrong?”
Completely ignoring the protests of her senior and junior, Elena spoke.
“First-years, evacuate with the spectators.”
“Senior! We can fight too.”
“The thought is admirable, but...”
Elena gave a slight smile at Juen's words.
“Anyone who's just dead weight will only get in the way here. Don't go holding your seniors back.”
Juen flinched at Elena's words.
“Lumerne will now form a team to stop that thing. When your name is called, step forward. All other students will follow the professors' instructions.”
Having said that, Elena glanced over at the other schools.
“I'd like you all to form teams as well.”
At her words, the other schools quickly began to form their own teams.
“By the way, where is Leo?”
“I'm right here.”
“......?”
Elena looked at the Leo who had appeared behind her and tilted her head.
“Leo?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm...”
Elena, who had been narrowing her eyes, smiled brightly.
“Can you command the ranged attackers from the rear?”
“Understood.”
“Wouldn't it be better for him to take the front line?”
“It's not just students here right now.”
Elena looked at the heroes who were holding back the disastrous flames that had begun to rage once more.
“I think it would be best for this Leo to command the mages and summoners.”
***
People were evacuating in a hurry.
In the midst of it all, Leo stood giving orders to Melina.
-Melina. Have the dragons find anyone suspicious within Lumerne. I don't know whose it is, but at the center of those flames is a fragment of the Hero Record of Genesis. There must be someone who brought it into Lumerne.
-Yes. But why would they do such a thing? The Hero Record of Genesis should be something Tartaros needs as well...
The Hero Record of Genesis can be used as a passage for Erebos, who is trapped in the World of Genesis, to come out.
But to make it go berserk in the middle of Lumerne?
Just like at Seirun, Leo could block that passage anytime.
*‘The Necromancer King can't be unaware of that, can he? What is he plotting?’*
Just as Leo narrowed his eyes...
“Not all parts of the Hero Record of Genesis can be used as a passage.”
Leo turned around.
He saw Lian walking through the evacuating crowd.
People unconsciously avoided Lian, yet they didn't seem to perceive his presence.
Lian, holding a wide, flat box in his arms, stopped in front of Leo.
Then, people stopped perceiving even Leo.
In the midst of this chaos, only the space around Lian was quiet.
“The Hero Record is an artifact made with the power of the gods. To the Abomination, its power is anathema.”
Lian walked up to Leo.
“When the Abomination was trapped in the World of Genesis, the pages of the Hero Record began to be stained black, as if ink had been spilled on paper.”
“It was corrupted.”
“Yes.”
Lian nodded.
“We tore the Hero Record apart before all the pages could be stained black.”
In the process, countless records were lost or scattered throughout the world.
“So only the corrupted pages can be used as a passage?”
“That is correct. However, the embers of that Abomination can still spew out through the Hero Record. What is happening now is such a phenomenon.”
Lian's expression clouded over.
“It's an error that occurred because the Record system itself is heavily damaged.”
“...So the Necromancer King knew that and caused it to go berserk inside Lumerne.”
“Most likely. That demon's intention is...”
“Since it's useless to him, he probably set it off during the Festival of Heroes to get rid of the hero candidates caught in the blast.”
Leo ground his teeth.
“What's the solution?”
“You must enter the World of Heroes and extinguish the embers that have spread.”
“To do that, I first need to extinguish the flames that have come out.”
“Yes. And so, I have a proposal.”
“......?”
“Please stand before the people not as Leo Flove, but as Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning.”
“What?”
“The inhabitants of the mortal realm are already quite accustomed to the miracle of the Great Hero's return, so it shouldn't cause any major problems.”
Lian said, looking at the pillar of black flame.
“Of course, you cannot sustain the world with the Great Hero's name forever. A name cannot last for eternity. I know you are already preparing for that time.”
Even if the Great Hero's name is forgotten, the names of those who carried on his will shall be passed down to future generations.
And their names, too, will one day be forgotten.
But the will that is passed down will not disappear.
Just as Leo... as Kyle received it from Lisinas and his comrades.
Just as Lisinas received it from someone nameless.
“In an age where the gods have vanished, for you, who achieved a feat greater than the gods, to be reborn is a miracle beyond even their imagination.”
Lian smiled brightly.
“I do not believe that miracle was a coincidence. You were reborn into this world because the world needs you.”
Lian looked at the terrified people.
“The people are trembling in fear. The name Leo Flove is not yet enough to drive away this terror.”
Lian knelt and presented the box to Leo as if offering a tribute.
“Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning, needs to descend upon the world once more.”
“This is...?”
“It is a gift from me to you.”
Leo opened the box, and his eyes widened.
Inside was a black cloak.
A cloak all too familiar to Leo.
Before Ar-on joined them.
He had spent day after day on the front lines, covered in wounds to protect Lisinas and Luna.
Kyle hadn't cared, but it seemed Lisinas and Luna had been heartbroken to see him like that.
One day, while he was treating his wounds, Lisinas handed him a cloak.
“Take this.”
“Why black? It's so drab.”
“It's a cloak made from my own hide.”
“And I've enchanted it with a protection spell.”
Luna said, crossing her arms.
“You get hurt every day. Lisinas and I made this so you'd stop getting so injured.”
Luna clicked her tongue.
“The only decent thing about you is your face. What if it gets scarred? Wouldn't that be heartbreaking?”
“Don't fall for me.”
“Don't make me laugh. Your face isn't even my type. And like I said, your face is the only good thing about you. Your personality is trash.”
Luna scrunched up her face, making it clear she was disgusted.
Watching the two of them, Lisinas sighed softly and said,
“It's sturdy, so it will protect you. Even if it gets damaged, I can repair it with my magic. From now on, you should get injured a little less often.”
And that cloak stayed with Kyle until the very end.
“How is this here?”
It was an item that should have vanished along with him at the end.
But this was undoubtedly his cloak.
“Long ago, the Heroes of Genesis conquered your world and received this as a reward. Lumerne entrusted it to me before they sealed Erebos.”
Leo silently reached for the cloak.
-Melina.
-Yes.
-Tell En to take my place.
-What? Ah, I understand.
With a flustered expression, Melina ordered En to transform into Leo.
En, playing the part of Leo, slipped among the Lumerne students.
Swish-!
Leo donned the cloak.
The hem of the cloak momentarily blocked Lian's view.
And in an instant.
Standing there was a young man with gray hair, clad in black leather armor and a black cloak.
“Ah.”
Seeing his back, the god's voice trembled.
Thud- Thud-
Leo walked toward the black flames.
“Wait, civilians need to eva—”
Nella, who was preparing for battle, tried to stop Leo as he walked from the direction of the evacuation.
“...cuate... you...?”
“Nella. What's wrong? Huh? A civilian? Hey! Evacuate immediately! Why are you here?”
Iliana, unable to hide her tension, tried to make Leo evacuate, but then she froze, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.
“Wait, this handsome guy. I've definitely seen him somewhere...? Huh? Ack? Whaaaaaat?!”
Iliana's jaw dropped as she let out a shriek.
Her scream drew everyone's gaze to Leo.
Leo chuckled, reached out to roughly ruffle Nella's and Iliana's hair, and then continued forward.
“Don't be nervous, kids.”
Everyone's astonished gazes were fixed on Leo... no, on Kyle.
“Because I'm here.”